1/02/2010

This should suddenly make me popular with the movers and shakers in Lib Dem blogging

I've never really written in depth on this blog before about a particular subject which seems to energise a number of "top" Lib Dem bloggers. But since this subject seems to be a prerequisite in order to gain any recognition in the Lib Dem blogosphere , I thought I chuck in to the melting pot my opinions about Dr Who based on having watched the Christmas and New year episodes.

I, as people will read, am only a casual watcher of Dr Who. I probably catch a couple of episodes each series, so am in no way an expert on the subject of Dr Who. But watching the last two episodes really does make me wonder if the appear of the programme to 9 year olds is based on the fact that the plots seem to involved the same level of detail and thoughtful planning typically expected of a 10 year old child. Thinking about it, that's not really fair, because if a nine year old in my class had turned out the storyline for the last two episodes as a story plan, I would have been extremely disappointed and told him to do it again.

Things just happen in Doctor Who. Doors lock for no reason, planets long destroyed, re-appear because of a diamond being found, spaceships lose power for good reasons and get them back for no good reason. Characters forget things for a reason then remember them for no reason, in short, events happen just because the writer decides on them on a whim whilst the plot development and the reasons for the events happening are completely glossed over by ludicrous science or simply the Doctor being clever.

The shame of it for me was that the final episodes were really well put together, brilliantly acted, full of fabulous effects but ultimately rather pointless given the fact that the writer Russell T Davies felt that he could allow more or less anything to happen in the story because it is science fiction and all the rules of cause and effect and plot development could be tossed away.

Whilst Russell T Davies might have revived Doctor Who, he has also left it as a niche programme with people like me, open to the idea of watching the show, finding is juvenile plots unchallenging and far too light weight. I will tune in to the next series of Dr Who. With the brilliant Steven Moffat as the man in charge of the scripts, the show should be a must see.